Everything is information, and information is power. Personal information, especially sensitive health information, is particularly powerful, that’s why hackers and thieves often seek and exploit it.
But protecting your health information is easier than you might think. With a few simple steps and precautions, you can keep it private and out of the hands of the bad guys. Here are five tips for protecting your personal health information.
Don’t share it with anyone
After seeing your doctor, you’d never go to a coffee shop and start reading aloud the results of whatever exam or testing you may have just had, right? Keep that in mind while filling out forms and otherwise sharing information online.
Make sure you only use the healthcare provider’s official portal. Look for https:// in the address bar. The s stands for secure, and if the site’s URL begins with just http:// prying eyes could be watching. Keep sensitive information to yourself as much as possible. Share your concerns with your provider if you have questions.
Bigger, better passwords
Hopefully, you already know that using passwords like 123456 and password is like handing out extra copies of your house keys to random strangers. Protect your health information from hackers by creating elaborate, multi-character passwords.
Get creative! It’s quite simple to create memorable passwords out of combinations of letters numbers, and characters that can spell out “words.” Always go for that extra level of security by randomizing the characters and storing each password in a secure password manager. And no, that doesn’t mean writing them on a note and sticking it to the computer.
Keep electronic devices secure
Ensure your laptop, phone, tablet, or other device requires a password, face recognition, biometric data, or other ways to access your files.
Install a firewall and ensure your anti-virus protection is up to date. Don’t click suspicious links and stay away from suspicious websites that can drop malware and other bad stuff onto your device, giving hackers and thieves access to your files. Lastly, literally locking up your devices is a good way to stop thieves.
Public Wi-Fi is dangerous territory
Checking your email and playing games using a public Wi-Fi system may seem harmless, but you’re leaving yourself open to hackers. Many public Wi-Fi systems are not secure, allowing hackers to intercept data.
Avoid using public Wi-Fi, especially if you’re receiving personal, financial, or health information. Make sure your connection is secure and employs a virtual public network (VPN) if you must use public Wi-Fi.
Use the right websites
Here’s the last of our five tips for protecting your personal health information. Search engines are wonderful, but they’re not always the best way to find health information.
While many respected government agencies and healthcare providers have excellent websites, there are just as many, if not more, shady sites out there that want to grab your information. Be discriminating about who gets your health information!
